Face mists: Overpriced and pointless or miracle workers?

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I might have been writing about beauty for more than six years, but I still don’t understand the point of face mists. In fact, I find the promise made by most of them, to revitalise and rehydrate lacklustre skin, irritating. That’s not to say I have never appreciated the cooling effect that Evian’s Facial Spray can have in the sweltering height of summer – it’s an desk-appropriate alternative to running through a garden sprinkler.

But when it comes to rehydrating parched skin after too many hours in a centrally heated office, a face mist isn’t going to cut the mustard. "A moisturiser needs to be applied in a uniform layer across the skin, so it can lock in water. A spray won’t coat your face like a lotion," says Randy Schueller, a cosmetic scientist and co-founder of the Beauty Brains podcast. Without sealing in water effectively, it will simply evaporate off your skin.

That’s not to say face mists are a complete waste of money. Deciem founder Brandon Truaxe has just unveiled a treatment mist, Hylamide HydraDensity, and when I put my evaporation argument to him, he offers a good analogy. "If you mix salt into water, the latter will evaporate, leaving a lot of the salt behind," he explains. Hylamide Hydra-Density Mist uses saccharide actives (sugars), which can be absorbed by the skin within seconds, offering some nourishment. You do need to follow it up with your moisturiser, though.

Essentially, if you enjoy using a face mist, you shouldn’t stop, but I wouldn’t recommend investing too much money in one. For hydrated, plumper skin, look to serum and moisturiser.